How to Bet on Formula 1 Futures

Formula 1 Futures Betting

The two most common Formula 1 futures bets that can be placed are for the World Drivers Championship and World Constructors Championship. Most of the best online Formula 1 betting sites offer both of these futures, and some offer variations as the season progresses. For example, when Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing started to run away with these titles during the middle of the 2011 F1 season, bookmakers started offering futures based on who would take 2nd place overall.

Formula 1 World Drivers Championship Futures Betting

The F1 World Drivers Championship (WDC) is given to the overall points leading driver each season.

Formula 1 World Constructors Championship Futures Betting

The World Constructors Championship is given to the top team each
year. Teams consist of two drivers using the same car/engine
combination, such as McLaren/Mercedes, Ferrari/Ferrari, and Red
Bull/Renault.

In most seasons, the constructor of the World Drivers Championship
car will also win the World Constructors Championship. This makes
perfect sense because you have to consider that a team capable of
producing the winning car should have good results with their second
driver as well. At this level of auto racing, the top drivers are all
extremely good. The difference between several drivers is like splitting
hairs.

How to Bet on Formula 1 Futures

There are some good and bad aspects to Formula 1 futures betting
which serious punters need to consider before placing their bets.

One of the problems with Formula 1 futures betting is that if you
place your bet before the season begins or early in the season, your
money will be tied up for a long time. If you’re working with a
bankroll, whatever amount you bet will be removed from that bankroll
until the season results have been determined – months later. For this
reason, proper bankroll management dictates that we need to keep our
futures bets down to a maximum of 1% of the total bankroll. For example,
if your bankroll is £1000, you shouldn’t be betting more that £10 on
each of these wagers.

Realistically, there are only 5 – 7 drivers with a shot at winning
the World Drivers Championship each year. The rest are dead-money, which
makes it easier to choose a winner. If you’re choosing a driver who is
in the group with a real chance to win, but an underdog within that
group, it’s usually smart to bet on this driver before the season
begins. This is because an underdog will only have underdog odds until
they have success. If you’ve picked the correct driver, his odds will
become much shorter as his results improve.

If you’re picking a favourite however, there’s little downside to
waiting until a few races have been completed. If that driver is
winning, he’s doing what he’s expected to – so his odds won’t change
much during the first few races. The idea here is, wait and see if your
driver will perform as expected because you have little to lose.

In most seasons, only 2 or 3 teams have a realistic shot at winning
the Constructors Championship. While this makes it easy to pick a
winner, the odds are usually very short. A common mistake that a lot of
casual punters make is to assume that the previous Constructors Champion
should win again next year. However, FIA is constantly making rule
changes to keep Formula 1 competitive. If one team is too fast, FIA will
often mandate changes to slow them down. If a team is too slow, they
might allow something they don’t allow for other teams. This sounds
biased, but really it isn’t.

In 2011, Sebastian Vettel clinched the Drivers Championship well
before the season was over. During the last several races, the drama was
gone. This is bad for TV ratings, promoters of remaining races, and for
fans. Ideally, F1 would like to see two or three teams battling it out
until the final race of the season – and this is why they adjust rules
to make the racing more competitive.

Each constructor uses different types of technology, and many of
these technologies are limited by FIA. If they’re too slow, FIA might
give the team fewer limitations on how they use their technology,
allowing them to be more competitive. This is to create parity and keep
the racing exciting for fans (and sponsors), not to give one team an
edge over the rest.

The 2012 Formula 1 season could turn into an excellent example of
this – for two reasons. First, Red Bull Racing dominated 2010 and 2011.
It’s not good for F1 when one team dominates for an extended period of
time. Secondly, Ferrari is very important to Formula 1. Ferrari is the
biggest name in Formula 1 racing, and everyone wants to see them win
again. It’s very likely that rules will be adjusted to help Ferrari (and
Mclaren-Mercedes) compete with Red Bull in 2012. Smart punters will
keep track of these changes, and research how the changes will translate
to speed on the track.

Finding Value

The best way to find value is to pay attention to changes in cars,
drivers, and rules during the off-season, then picking a constructor
that you expect to move up from previous years. For example, Red Bull
Renault won back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. Going into 2012, they will be
the clear favourites. If you notice significant rule changes during the
off season that should benefit Ferrari, you’re likely to get greater
odds for them, with possibly the best chance at a winning bet.

Since the World Constructors Championship is usually won by the team
who also produces the World Drivers Champion, punters should be keeping
these bets tied together. For example, if you think Fernando Alonso
(Ferrari) is going to win the World Drivers Championship, you should
only bet on Ferrari if you’re going to bet on the World Constructors
Championship.

betbubbles

You may also like

Palpable Error, the bookmakers get out of jail free card. You’ll often not even get an explanation or an email telling you you’ve bet on a palpable error, you only know once you check you bet details and see something...

Twitter, it’s more than just a bit of fun: For most Twitter is a bit of fun, an opportunity to share your news, vent your frustrations and keep tabs with friends and celebrities. To others, a select few, Twitter is an...

Be wary of rogue tipsters In todays’ sports betting world, the role of tipster is becoming more and more prevalent; and like it or not, it appears they are here to stay. The internet is littered with literally thousands...